The Roastery Coffee House

Roastery is love at first sight kind of place. You look at it, and you get all the warm and fuzzy feels. And I believe, that's one reason it is hard to get a table here. Very recently, they added more to their seating, so the chances of you getting accommodated are more now.

Located in the bylanes of Road No. 14 of Banjara Hills, the property is done to give you the laid back vibe, while being tastefully minimal.

Another thing that they have recently added is more food options to their menu. I was a part of the tasting session, organised for the new menu trials, and I couldn't get enough of it.

For the starters, we have Cheesy Wedges, Onion Cheese Rings, Cheesy Sticks and Zucchini Fries. If you happen to be a cheese fanatic like me, those dishes (minus the zucchini one) are going to satiate your desires successfully! The wedges were of optimal size, with melted cheese spread over them, and seasoned well. The rings were a twisted edition of the classic onion rings, wherein there was cheese present in every bite! The sticks were basically Mozzarella sticks, that had been coated and fried. Mind you, none of these felt heavy. And if there's any sign of guilt creeping up, you can justify that with the healthy fries. The zucchini was cut into slender fries shape, and could easily give a tough competition to the potato fries. Another appetizer that we tried was the Mushroom Bruschetta. The mushrooms had been cooked to tenderness, and Bruschetta itself had a hint of garlic, making this dish an easily gobbled down one.

Sliding into the mains, it was a spread that had me brimming with joy. There was Mushroom Risotto, Spaghetti in Spinach Alfredo Sauce, Mix Sauce Penne Pasta, Corn and Spinach Lasagna, Paneer Bolognese and Buffalo Mozzarella Roasted Vegetables. It was after long that I had a risotto as good as this one! The Spaghetti was another wowser, the sauce being flavourful yet without too pronounced a taste of spinach. As for the Lasagna, I don't remember if I ever had a non-red sauce one ever. This one was layered with corns and Spinach mash, and I loved the hint of sweetness the kernels brought with them. The pasta was something I'm still not over yet. I can't stress enough as to how perfect the mix was of red and white sauces! The roasted vegetables were something for the health conscious — chunks of buffalo cheese and vegetables done up with minimal seasoning. The Paneer Bolognese didn't deliver much, but wasn't too bad to complain.

Roastery offers a variety of coffee based drinks, something to cater to everyone's palate. Cranberry and Coffee would be for someone who prefers the coffee without milk, but not bitter. The Ice-cream Blend is the cold coffee that we love. I went for the Brownie Blend. The coffee in itself wasn't sugary, but derived sweetness from the chunks of brownie, this preventing it from being overtly sweet.

Because Roastery is coffee place, the dessert had to be an Affagoto. There were two variants served; both included a gelato scoop, a flask with coffee, and few pieces of fruit to help cleanse your palate. If you like it intense or bitter, go for the chocolate or coffee gelato, but for me the clear selection was Vanilla. Pour the coffee over the gelato, and you have a heavenly dessert, that calms your caffeine and sweet tooth cravings in one go.

All the while we were there, Nishant, the owner, was giving us tidbits of information, be it about the idea behind the dish, or it's origin. And you could see it in his enthusiasm, that he loves bringing joy to the table in everything that the place has to offer. Being at Roastery, and now enjoying their food, is a feeling you cannot afford to miss is all I can say.